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There was a quote floating around social media that I saw recently and loved. "The best compliment you can give your photographer is to keep inviting them back to document your life". For me, there's no one that better describes than my awesome client Sarah. She first got in touch with me back in 2018 to photograph her twin newborns with her beautiful Airedale Terrier, Benjamin Franklin. She's invited me back into her life every year since then to document her family as it grows, which I appreciate so much.  At our latest session, she undertook an even bigger task when planning for photos, including her parents, her in-laws and her brother for an extended family shoot. Coordinating that many schedules is a herculean task, so I admire her greatly for getting everyone there (and dressed and happy)! Her brother John even came straight off a tour with his band Moon Tooth, driving home from a show in Canada two days before. Check them out! We had to have a last minute venue change from their back yard and Sarah's husband AJ came to the rescue and secured a new spot for us (he's a volunteer firefighter so he's used to saving the day). Everyone was very patient with me while I snapped waaaaay too many photos, to make sure I had enough images to swap heads, hands, whole bodies, etc. in Photoshop. That's always necessary for big groups, and especially so when there's three kids and a dog involved! Though extra subjects can mean extra work, it also means having extra hands on deck to assist in tasks like tying shoes, wiping runny noses and picking the right music to keep the kids engaged and smiling. Their favorite song right now is Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon, a very impressive pick for their age. Thank you to Sarah and her lovely family for being so patient and helpful! Here are some of my favorite photos from this very special session. Get in touch to book your session today! Email me at [email protected]
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 | Every year I’m so busy getting my clients’ holiday photos done, that I tend to leave my own shooting and editing to the last minute! Here are some of the personal holiday photos I've been shooting this season. For the last few years, I've been decorating a small studio tree with some of the camera ornament overflow from my big Christmas tree (I have roughly 1,000 haha). Last year I picked up a small real tree from Waterdrinker Family Farm in Manorville, and decided to put it up in our kitchen instead of the studio so we could see it more often. |
We did the same thing again this year. I took a few shots of my mother and my nephew Seth decorating it earlier this month. Each time he found a new camera ornament in the box, he pretended to take a picture of me with it. He's too cute.
I also took a few shots in the studio of my beautiful daughter Gracey, who is a very unwilling participant when it comes to photos 😂. I usually have a only a few minutes of cooperation before she decides the session is over. Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve been doing this long enough to be able to get a decent amount of photos of even the most unwilling subjects, so I was able to snap some adorable portraits of her in less than 5 minutes, and she was handsomely rewarded with a smorgasbord of treats for her time.
I also took a few shots in the studio of my beautiful daughter Gracey, who is a very unwilling participant when it comes to photos 😂. I usually have a only a few minutes of cooperation before she decides the session is over. Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve been doing this long enough to be able to get a decent amount of photos of even the most unwilling subjects, so I was able to snap some adorable portraits of her in less than 5 minutes, and she was handsomely rewarded with a smorgasbord of treats for her time.
I also did family photos for my sister Lisa, brother in law Will and nephew Seth in Port Jefferson this year. We found a Christmas tree right outside the Village Center and did a quick session there for some photos to go on their Christmas card this year. Seth was rewarded for his cooperation with a trip to the candy store after, and a walk up and down his favorite set of stairs that he visits every time we're down port.
Then Seth was treated to two more photo shoots in the studio. I broke it up so as not to push my luck. There's a short attention span when it comes to four year olds and I always want to keep photos in Aunt Laura's studio to be a positive experience for him, so that it's something he doesn't come to dread! Because, let's face it, I'm never going to stop dragging him in there because he's so darn cute. First he wanted to take a few photos with my dog Gracey, because he loves her so much. I have to admit those were a struggle, so I only got one good one, and it was heavily Photoshopped haha! Then we took some photos of him in his Christmas outfit. I gave him a stuffed bear to hold onto to keep his hands busy.
Then another day we tried again in some Christmas pajamas for more photos with his huge stuffed moose, who he named Horns, which was his big Christmas present last year. He likes to sit on top of Horns and has decent balance, but he was getting a little wobbly toward the end, so I added a little support for him so he could be antsy on top of Horns and we wouldn't have to worry about him taking a tumble.
Then another day we tried again in some Christmas pajamas for more photos with his huge stuffed moose, who he named Horns, which was his big Christmas present last year. He likes to sit on top of Horns and has decent balance, but he was getting a little wobbly toward the end, so I added a little support for him so he could be antsy on top of Horns and we wouldn't have to worry about him taking a tumble.
Happy Holidays everyone!
I love when people give the gift of photography. I don’t know one mom who thinks she has enough professional photos of her kids, so it's almost a sure bet that this a gift they'll love and appreciate. Shannon is a mom and a dog walker, and one of her clients got in touch with me this fall to purchase a gift card for her as an early Christmas gift. We arranged to meet at a local park with her son Brendan and their dog Gracie for some holiday photos. Since my dog is also named Gracey, just spelled a different way, we got to talking about dog names. It turns out, in addition to naming our dogs the same thing, we also both had Winnie on the short list of dog names!
Their Gracie is an adorable Yorkshire Terrier and she did amazing for her photos. We did some of the whole family, some of Gracie on her own, and some of Brendan and Gracie, to commemorate the very special bond they share. We had a great time talking while we walked and shot photos along the beautiful trails in the park. It was so nice to get to know this sweet family. Shannon told me she hadn't gotten professional photos done in so many years, so I was very happy to be able to capture some for them!
I love the way that Gracie was tilting her head in so many of these photos. I have an arsenal of silly noises I can make to catch a dog's attention. Usually once they hear a noise a few times, they get used to it and it doesn't get them to look anymore. That's why I've developed so many, and Gracie was interested in every one of them. If you're ever at a Long Island beach or park, and you hear a woman squeaking, whistling, humming, and generally sounding like an absolute weirdo, there's a good chance it's me trying to get a dog to look my way. It's all worth it for those adorable head tilts that all dog owners know and love!
Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!
Their Gracie is an adorable Yorkshire Terrier and she did amazing for her photos. We did some of the whole family, some of Gracie on her own, and some of Brendan and Gracie, to commemorate the very special bond they share. We had a great time talking while we walked and shot photos along the beautiful trails in the park. It was so nice to get to know this sweet family. Shannon told me she hadn't gotten professional photos done in so many years, so I was very happy to be able to capture some for them!
I love the way that Gracie was tilting her head in so many of these photos. I have an arsenal of silly noises I can make to catch a dog's attention. Usually once they hear a noise a few times, they get used to it and it doesn't get them to look anymore. That's why I've developed so many, and Gracie was interested in every one of them. If you're ever at a Long Island beach or park, and you hear a woman squeaking, whistling, humming, and generally sounding like an absolute weirdo, there's a good chance it's me trying to get a dog to look my way. It's all worth it for those adorable head tilts that all dog owners know and love!
Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!
Get in touch to book your pet session today!
Email me at [email protected] or call (631)256-7476. Happy Holidays!
I first photographed this beautiful family in 2018, and every year since then I've had the honor of being a part of documenting their family's memories. When I dropped off their products from this session, mom Sarah showed me the many places around their house where my photos are displayed. It meant so much to me to see that!
This last session was done to commemorate their youngest James' first birthday. We decided to do it at a local dog-friendly park so that their furry eldest child (Benjamin Franklin, a consummate professional), could join in on the fun. James takes after his family in that he can pose with the best of them. We joked that with his suit and bow tie, he looked like an adorable tiny Godfather.
Older twin siblings Nathaniel and Caroline blew me away with how well they behaved. They were about 2 months away from turning 4 at the time we shot this, and they listened so well, I was thoroughly impressed! As long as we allowed them to do the occasional silly shot, they were game for anything. You'll see one of those shots in the slideshow below. I love showing these types of photos to clients because (though I am -AHEM- a serious artist and professional businesswoman) I am at heart a very silly person myself.
As a small business owner, when clients come back repeatedly, it's such a gift. To have clients who book every year and really show their appreciation for what you do, I can't tell you how much it means! Here are some of my favorite shots from our session!
This last session was done to commemorate their youngest James' first birthday. We decided to do it at a local dog-friendly park so that their furry eldest child (Benjamin Franklin, a consummate professional), could join in on the fun. James takes after his family in that he can pose with the best of them. We joked that with his suit and bow tie, he looked like an adorable tiny Godfather.
Older twin siblings Nathaniel and Caroline blew me away with how well they behaved. They were about 2 months away from turning 4 at the time we shot this, and they listened so well, I was thoroughly impressed! As long as we allowed them to do the occasional silly shot, they were game for anything. You'll see one of those shots in the slideshow below. I love showing these types of photos to clients because (though I am -AHEM- a serious artist and professional businesswoman) I am at heart a very silly person myself.
As a small business owner, when clients come back repeatedly, it's such a gift. To have clients who book every year and really show their appreciation for what you do, I can't tell you how much it means! Here are some of my favorite shots from our session!
Get in touch to book your session today! Email me at [email protected]
or call (631)256-7476.
This session was particularly fun because it was of one of my best friends Lauren’s family! I’ve been taking photos of them all the way back to her engagement session with her husband Mike and I’ve had the pleasure of capturing a lot of their memories as they grew their family!
Beautiful Addison has such a sweet disposition and little Stella already has a big and bright personality! I love these girls! It was so fun following them around while they explored Islip Grange and all its adorable historic buildings.
Here are some of my favorite shots from our session!
Beautiful Addison has such a sweet disposition and little Stella already has a big and bright personality! I love these girls! It was so fun following them around while they explored Islip Grange and all its adorable historic buildings.
Here are some of my favorite shots from our session!
Get in touch to book your session today! Email me at [email protected] or call (631)256-7476.
I met this awesome family years ago at my first pet portrait program at Islip Public Library. I've been lucky enough to have many shoots with them since then and they're always so much fun! This session was booked to celebrate son Owen's 10th birthday (he was only 5 when I met him the first time)! Mom, Dad and his two little sisters joined in so we could also capture some great family shots during our hike in the gorgeous woods of Prosser Pines! We got a beautiful fall day for our shoot and the kids had a great time exploring the trails and fallen branch tents that are scattered throughout the park.
I'm going to climb on my soapbox for just one moment here, so please bear with me. Prosser Pines is a really popular spot for photographers; there are even some times when I'm shooting there that I have to make sure there are no other shoots going on in the background of my photo (and sometimes even Photoshop them out if I can't avoid them)! Last year in October I shot there and there was litter left from photographers setting off smoke bombs during their sessions. I was happy to see that this time there was no trace of anything like that. It's so important for us photographers to respect the places where we shoot. Not only is it just common decency, if we don't, we might not be allowed to keep using those locations. If you visit a park or nature preserve, remember to take out what you bring in!
Ok, rant over, back to these amazing folks! The best feedback I can get from my clients is not reviews (although those help!), it's the fact that they return to me for more sessions. That tells me that I did my job, that they love their photos, and that they can stand me telling corny jokes or doing my silly noises to make their kids smile! As a small business owner, I appreciate every single client who books with me because they allow me to live my dream, but clients who come back year after year are something so special to me and I can't thank them enough!
Without further ado, here are some of my favorite shots from this very fun session!
I'm going to climb on my soapbox for just one moment here, so please bear with me. Prosser Pines is a really popular spot for photographers; there are even some times when I'm shooting there that I have to make sure there are no other shoots going on in the background of my photo (and sometimes even Photoshop them out if I can't avoid them)! Last year in October I shot there and there was litter left from photographers setting off smoke bombs during their sessions. I was happy to see that this time there was no trace of anything like that. It's so important for us photographers to respect the places where we shoot. Not only is it just common decency, if we don't, we might not be allowed to keep using those locations. If you visit a park or nature preserve, remember to take out what you bring in!
Ok, rant over, back to these amazing folks! The best feedback I can get from my clients is not reviews (although those help!), it's the fact that they return to me for more sessions. That tells me that I did my job, that they love their photos, and that they can stand me telling corny jokes or doing my silly noises to make their kids smile! As a small business owner, I appreciate every single client who books with me because they allow me to live my dream, but clients who come back year after year are something so special to me and I can't thank them enough!
Without further ado, here are some of my favorite shots from this very fun session!
Get in touch to book your session today! Email me at [email protected]
or call (631)256-7476.
My sister, brother in law and my nephew accompanied me on my shoot at Prosser Pines with our friend Lauren this year. When they were there they took a walk around the preserve and afterwards said "Ok, can we do our Christmas photos here too?" Of course! It's such a beautiful spot for it!
Lisa had the idea to use Seth's Little Tikes car in the photos and put some of my little tree props on it as if Seth had gone to the woods to chop down his own tree. The problem was that his car is green with yellow dinosaur scales! But that's where Aunt Laura's years of Photoshop practice came into play. It was more time-consuming than my normal edits but I was able to turn his car red to match her vision for the photos. We wrapped a string of fairy lights around it to complete the look and Seth was happy to pose in it, because he loves his dino car! He wouldn't wear the trapper hat we brought for him, but that's ok because they still came out super cute.
We also took some sweet family shots of the three of them, but most of the photos were about Seth, because he's obviously the star!
Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!
Lisa had the idea to use Seth's Little Tikes car in the photos and put some of my little tree props on it as if Seth had gone to the woods to chop down his own tree. The problem was that his car is green with yellow dinosaur scales! But that's where Aunt Laura's years of Photoshop practice came into play. It was more time-consuming than my normal edits but I was able to turn his car red to match her vision for the photos. We wrapped a string of fairy lights around it to complete the look and Seth was happy to pose in it, because he loves his dino car! He wouldn't wear the trapper hat we brought for him, but that's ok because they still came out super cute.
We also took some sweet family shots of the three of them, but most of the photos were about Seth, because he's obviously the star!
Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!
Happy Holidays!
You might remember Dominic's adorable session at the Stony Brook duck pond recently for his second birthday. I was so happy to get this little guy in front of my camera again for a Christmas and family session at Prosser Pines in Middle Island! His mom brought a super cute mailbox and a letter so Dominic could send out his wishlist to Santa. I hope he gets everything he wants!
We did some individual photos of the handsome boy and a lot of family shots too. The light was so beautiful that day in Prosser Pines and we had a lot of fun exploring the trails, despite one alarming incident where Dominic dropped his Larabar snack on the forest floor and was NOT PLEASED when it got taken away from him! I feel you, buddy.
There are these cool tree structures in the Pines that Dominic loved to dart in and out of. I'm not really sure what the story is behind those or who made them, but they look pretty cool. If anyone has any insight into how those came about, comment below because I'd love to know. Google has failed me and I'm curious!
Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!
We did some individual photos of the handsome boy and a lot of family shots too. The light was so beautiful that day in Prosser Pines and we had a lot of fun exploring the trails, despite one alarming incident where Dominic dropped his Larabar snack on the forest floor and was NOT PLEASED when it got taken away from him! I feel you, buddy.
There are these cool tree structures in the Pines that Dominic loved to dart in and out of. I'm not really sure what the story is behind those or who made them, but they look pretty cool. If anyone has any insight into how those came about, comment below because I'd love to know. Google has failed me and I'm curious!
Here are some of my favorite photos from our session!
Get in touch here to book your session!
Lily's parents Brandon and Richelle are friends of mine, so it's always nice to photograph her because I get to hang out with her awesome mom and dad too! I haven't seen them in a long time because they live in Connecticut and because of this darn pandemic we've all been dealing with for what feels like forever. But we got together for a socially distanced photo session where Lily could have her run of the yard and stretch those legs out after being in the car for so long!
Lily wasn't super interested in sitting on any of my little rugs. She wanted to RUN. She was having a blast finding acorns, holding up gigantic sticks and ripping leaves off the trees. At one point Brandon said "These are going to be the weirdest Christmas photos ever", but you know what? I've been a photographer long enough to know that a 2 year old just does their thing and I have to be quick enough to capture the smiles when they happen! Luckily from years of experience and from photographing my nephew Seth so much, I have a very quick trigger finger!
After she was done exploring the grounds to her heart's content, I finally lucked out with a prop she was interested in. My trusty Radio Flyer wagon with a tree plopped inside of it never goes wrong. She had lots of fun pulling it around and also using it as an acorn receptacle. Whatever keeps them smiling for the camera is alright by me!
Here are some of my favorite photos from Lily's session!
Lily wasn't super interested in sitting on any of my little rugs. She wanted to RUN. She was having a blast finding acorns, holding up gigantic sticks and ripping leaves off the trees. At one point Brandon said "These are going to be the weirdest Christmas photos ever", but you know what? I've been a photographer long enough to know that a 2 year old just does their thing and I have to be quick enough to capture the smiles when they happen! Luckily from years of experience and from photographing my nephew Seth so much, I have a very quick trigger finger!
After she was done exploring the grounds to her heart's content, I finally lucked out with a prop she was interested in. My trusty Radio Flyer wagon with a tree plopped inside of it never goes wrong. She had lots of fun pulling it around and also using it as an acorn receptacle. Whatever keeps them smiling for the camera is alright by me!
Here are some of my favorite photos from Lily's session!
Get in touch to book your session here!
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Laura Paesano
Long Island, NY
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